U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,884 (1999) to Boulter discloses an RO water purification system, as well as a sanitizing dispensing nozzle. A kiosk is large enough to house an entire RO filtration system, a storage tank, and several vend stations around its periphery. No sharing of filtration or storage components among several kiosks is disclosed or suggested. Each nozzle has an ozone gas sterilizer and a retraction assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,312 to Boulter discloses an RO filtration system and an ice dispenser.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,913 (1999) to Boulter discloses a sanitizing, dispensing nozzle. The nozzle is controlled by a controller so as to retract into a shutter assembly when not vending water. Ozone is used for sanitizing the nozzle.
Problems with the above-noted prior art include the large floor space requirements of a kiosk, indeed, almost a twenty foot square is needed to house a kiosk. The retractable nozzle assembly ('913 FIGS. 12, 13) has a hole 152 which can be tampered with, for example, by putting bubble gum into hole 152, even when the nozzle is retracted. The ozone also fills the entire enclosure 120, thereby causing rubber and plastic parts therein to deteriorate, which increases maintenance costs. Also, two actuators are needed, one for the nozzle retractor and one for the door opener.
The present invention addresses these shortcomings. A modular housing module of about 6 feet in width and three feet in depth can be placed against a wall. Various modules can share the filtration and water storage components, thereby dispersing the RO and storage components throughout a retail area. Pipes can connect various modules all around a mall and/or parking area. Water vend units can be discretely placed against walls throughout a retail area to maximize floor space usage.
The present invention nozzles retract into an enclosure with tamper-resistant doors, whereby no opening is exposed to the public when the nozzle is retracted. An ozone enclosure assembly keeps most of the ozone adjacent the nozzle thereby minimizing the deterioration of other flexible parts. A single actuator opens a shutter and extends the nozzle via a linkage.